Recently Golden Glory’s Bas Boon has been seen publicly accusing M-1 of dishonesty and any sin imaginable mixing lots of facts and guesswork. M-1 president Vadim Finkelstein decided to clear up the mess and analyze the Dutch’s allegations.
Recently Golden Glory’s Bas Boon has been seen publicly accusing M-1 of dishonesty and any sin imaginable mixing lots of facts and guesswork. M-1 president Vadim Finkelstein decided to clear up the mess and analyze the Dutch’s allegations.
Mister Finkelstein’s words are in blue.
Bas Boon is as always in his style. But every reasonable person that has read this letter understands that Bas Boon is a dishonorable man because he always makes a mess and stirs up trouble (For example, the situation with PRIDE), he tries to have business everywhere, wants to make money off everything.
There is no single person in this world that would blame me for the dishonorableness towards my partners. If people try to cheat me I stop relations with these people because it means that they will do the same things in the future. I don’t like to walk in the mud but Bas Boon has forced me to answer those attacks concerning the situations that took place 5 or 6 years ago.
Well, let’s start from the beginning.
Boon: “I never made an official statement about M-1, I did talk on the Dutch forum about my feelings towards M-1 and some forum guy made a translation (out of context) of a part of the post and put it on several foreign forums. Vadim, you know that I always have the best fighters for your shows, Darrel Gohlar, Fatih Kocamis, Chalid Arrab, Allistair Overeem, Paul Cahoon…”
Bas Boon really helped me in the beginning, it was my first experience and I needed advice. But those famous fighters he named back ten were just students, their fees were around $1000. Back then they were nothing special to speak of and Bas Boon was happy to put them in any event.
Boon: “I tried to help the first M-1 promotions/events in Russia, I helped with the Cage and matchmaking and lightning.”
But you forgot to mention that you didn’t do it free of charge. You got the broadcasting rights etc.
I did the first Cage Fight in Holland in Emmen in 1996.
That’s true. And after that tournament the cage was banned in the whole Europe…
I made a business deal regarding all M-1/Red Devil rights for bringing fighters and helping producing the shows.
Yes, I had that agreement with you in order provide my athletes with fights. And you got 10% of their fees when you found the fights for them.
I put Amar Suloev en Semenov in the UFC for a lot of money (at that time it was a lot of money).
You made this fight indeed, got 10% or it, but you forgot to tell about how you deducted money from their fees and told us that it was an American additional tax deduction. Then I found out from the Americans that there should be no taxes, the fees were paid netto. You put your hands into the guys’ pocket although you already got your 10%. It was the first issue and then I was planning to stop any business relations with you.
I introduced you to my long time business partner where you went with fighters to Brazil for fight events.
Perhaps you forgot at whose expense they would participate. The deal was that I provide the fighters and in return gain the television rights to broadcast those events in Russia.
I brought Appy to Japan on the cost of Golden Glory (I paid for that trip to Japan, hotels flights, everything as we were business partners in promoting fight events).
M-1 Global didn’t exist at that time and Apy didn’t work for it.
The only thing Apy ever did, he gave a business card of yours/red devil to Fedor on that trip to Japan.
He didn’t give any visit cards to Fedor. He just flew in the same airplane as Fedor and asked him if he wants to talk to me. Fedor said yes and gave his phone number. Anyway, at that time Fedor just started his career, world of MMA was very small in Russia, everybody knew each other and it wasn’t a big deal to find his phone number.
I can send you all the emails I have from you regarding my help in signing Fedor, as Fedor did not want to leave Pogodin, his manager. Finally, I sent you an e-mail regarding Fedor’s title fight bonus $50.000 for the Pride title and that all fighters (I had a lot of contracts with GG fighters with Pride at that time Semmy, Heath Herring, Alistair, Valentijn….) they all got the same term in their contract with Pride , if they would fight for a belt and win they would make an extra $50.000.-. I was very smart sending an email to Pride and asking them if this term was for all fighters who fought for a belt, they said yes and I forwarded you this mail. I told you: ask what Fedor got for his title fight and you told me $4000.
Fedor understood that he was cheated. You just helped us expose deception of Pogodin, but you didn’t do it for free. You wanted to make money off Fedor. This deception would be disclosed sooner of later anyway.
You wanted a better contract for Fedor and I made sure Fedor got almost 4 times more money than before fighting with Pride. Fedor went from $30.000 to $115000 – for four fights. And I got his brother a contract as well and Amar Suloev. You, Apy and myself agreed: that I would be on the management contract of Fedor, but I put Mijatovic as I could not be mentioned on this management agreement. At that time I would get serious problems with Pride. If they know I brought their champion to their enemy, you can imagine it would hurt my business relationship with them. You guys agreed with this and understood the situation. Mijatovic would act on my behalf and everybody agreed! Further more – I had the Japanese people to fly to St Petersburg including myself. I had problems with Stefan and Semmy with K-1 and could not afford more problems with Pride.
At that time Fedor had already made his decision to work with me as his manager. He had two more fights for PRIDE. I looked through the contract signed by Fedor and found out that he was free to move to another organization as there was no exclusivity clause. And I sent you a copy of the contract. After that you came to Saint-Petersburg to sign a deal with Inoki Bom Baye, you took Miro and that Japanese guy representing Inoki Bom Baye. You were involved in co-promotion of this show as you wanted to make money of everything, that’s why you made Miro represent you and hid behind his back. In case of problems Miro would be left with problems, not you. We worked off that New Year’s Eve, we got out fee. The rest was your own problem with Japanese organizers that wasn’t our business.
Now, you also know that Cro Cop was paid to not fight on NYE at the Bom Baye show (Pride arranged this, he was paid to get injured) and that this was the reason for me trying to save the show by getting Fedor to fight - even with an injured hand. I arranged a pro wrestler for him to fight for almost 4 times more money than he ever made with Pride! The contract was also for 4 fights
You were one of the event organizers, it was your own risk.
We were unlucky with the “war” in Japan as all three promotions/ companies K-1, Pride and Bom Baye were doing a New Years Eve show at the same time (this never happened before). Behind the scenes in Kobe that 2003 NYE fight night, I had many yakuza threats as well as Miro Mijatovic. Finally the yakuza was pressing Kawamata (the promoter) to pay 1 million for Fedor to Pride and another million to the Yakuza (I guess his Pride went up again). The result was that the promoter Kawamata left Japan and took whatever money he could get with him.
Looks like a gang movie. I’ve never heard the names you mentioned. Probably you simply messed up since you wanted to get money everywhere from everyone. I was far from these cobwebs. I was Fedor’s manager and acted according to the contracts signed.
There was some cash money and I told Miro to pay you guys with this cash money as I would wait for the wire transfer, which never came. Till today I lost more the $300.000 with this shit. I then made a deal with Miro that all money made from Fedor should be paid to me, as I needed my payment for my fighters which I advanced. In the beginning I wanted to share my money with him as he spoke Japanese and was a good lawyer, but I knew him as long as you guys did, I met him in St Petersburg!
You were one of the organizers. So why would you blame the fighter? We got our money for the work and the rest was not our business.
Mijatovic who was still managing Cro Cop maybe used his new status as co-manager from Fedor to still get his old money from Pride as long as the contract from Mirko was valid - I do not know this for sure, it is just speculation.
How could Miatovich being Crocop’s manger agree with this if he was your partner at that time? This is a very, very intricate storyline.
I only know that the money I did receive came by bank and was never more then $7666.60. As he also was the manger of Stefan and Semmy etc at that time I made a deal with him, I told him he could make percentages, as long as the fighters kept fighting and he would pay me the money back from NYE 2003! All this money came by bank transfer. Everything went well till NYE 2004, when the contract ended with Pride with Fedor, Pride made offers for Pride to Miro and he forwarded this to me – I discussed this with you and Appy (I have all those e’mails and proposals on file)! We told Sakikabara we would take fight by fight and not sign a long term deal, he even tried to bribe us (I have that in writing too), but we said no! Then Sakakibara started to throw the mud, he came with bullshit bank wires, or not? I do not know, I only know that the money I received from Miro at that time was about $30.000 plus some money for my other fighters till November 2004. At that time he still owed me $300.000 for flights from Fedor, Amar – my fighters (ours) you, me, Apy etc, I advanced everything, including the fight money for my fighters.
Bas, you’ve made it so complicated that it’s getting more and more difficult to understand. Miro was Crocop’s manager. PRIDE paid Crocop to not fight. Very strange things. I don’t understand this detective line. Miro had 15% off Fedor’s fight. You know that after the night Fedor fought at the Inoki event, some Japanese from PRIDE came along. I don’t know if they were Yakuza, but took Miro to the meeting. They showed me the contract for two more fights in PRIDE. I showed them another contract that Fedor personally had. And it turned out that we acted according to the contract since the contract that Fedor had was absolutely different than theirs. Their contract was signed by Pogodin. The guy from PRIDE understood that it was a deception, not from Fedor’s side, but a deception of his former manager. And I signed a new agreement for three fights in PRIDE. And it was agreed by Miro and you, as you were hiding behind his back. It was clearly written in that contract that your commission was 15% of Fedor’s fee.
Bas, your problems with Japanese were your own problems. You wanted to make money but something went wrong. What does a fighter have to do with it? I don’t understand it. It’s your business with the Japanese.
Then when I wanted to get money on NYE 2004 for the Fedor vs Nogeira fight, Appy starts screaming at me, you did this and that, and I did not understand what he was screaming about, I told him “Appy lets stick together we got all these champions and all of this amazing opportunities ahead of us”. All the while Sakakibara is trying to fuck things up because we did not sign a long term agreement with Fedor. I told him remember when Pride showed a contract where they said Fedor signed this, but Fedor said I never signed nothing (this was a few days before the NYE Bom Baye Show). Pride made a press conference about this! At that time Appy and your self called Pride liars and gangsters and it was not true, why would they tell the truth now? On all bank statements it did not said for who the money transfer was for, at least not what Mijatovic showed me! Now the funny thing is that Mijatovic dissapeared and he still owes me a lot of money, all the Russians were paid and you made money all year 2004, with all the work I did, I made it possible for Fedor, Aleksander and Amar to fight in Bom Baye and Pride. (And I’m called the asshole?)
And if you are so honest and decent person could you please explain the following:
After Inoki Bom Baye we signed a contract with PRIDE for 3 fights. We worked off those fights and paid you and Miro your fees. But after that Sakikabara told me that you got additional 15% from PRIDE. How come? And thereafter when I found out that you cheated me one more time, I broke up any relations with you.
In the first place I was doing the management for Fedor together with you and Apy, but I did all the work! I got the deal, I got a proposal, I paid your fighters and flights and everything so all the fighters including the Russians were happy and stayed with red devil. Why did my payments stop? We agreed 1/3 of the percentage would go to me (it should be half as I was doing all the work but I agreed , so no complains there)! Mijatovic owes me money, Bom Bay owes me money and I did all the work, I took a huge risk by bringing everybody and what did you guys get? The best fighter of all time, he got paid his highest fight purse at that time, so did his brother Aleksander and Amar. You made money from the beginning. And the guy who made everything possible got shit, $300.000.- and is being accused of all kinds of bullshit! I was in Sakakibara’s office threatened with the big yakuza boss Mr Kim (some Korean yakuza) by Sakakibara, Hideki and Yukino were witnesses of all this, I was there with Mijatovic at that time, they wanted us to sign the agreement with Fedor for two years! I told Sakakibara later it was his fault, because he sent yakuza after us, the promoter Kawamata from Bom Baye left the country and I did not got paid – a huge loss for me because Sakakibara using yakuza. At the end Yakuza Mr Kim flee the country to Korea, Sakakibara was very smart selling his dead company footage to the UFC!! And Vadim and Appy got Fedor and did if Bas Boon did not exist anymore? Bas Boon was left with $300.000.- bills from flights, hotels and fighters who were not paid and Bas Boon had to pay this out of his own pocket. This is what really happened and I have the documents and mails to prove this.
Bas, seems like everybody owes you.
But I think that readers understand what kind of person you are, that your primary business is a fraud, you tried to make money of everything. You indeed did help me in the beginning: you provided me with several athletes and paid them, but you forget to mention that you got all the rights for the shows which I made while losing money, from 50k to 200k US$ on each show. And you were selling the video rights all over the world although we had an agreement to share all the profit from the rights on 50/50 basis. The series of events “Russia vs World” and others were sold all over the Globe.
I found my tapes in Free Record Shop which is the biggest media shop in the Netherlands. And they are still on sale there. You even managed to sell my proprietary rights to “Boets”, a Russian Martial Arts channel and make money on it. You can’t deny it. And although we agreed to share all the profit 50/50 I have never had a cent off it.
I don’t understand why you write this detective story and post it on internet 5 years later after the events had occurred. What is the meaning of it? I will never work with you anymore, you had two chances but you tried to cheat on both occasions. I simply don’t work with such people. Everything you did for Fedor, you did for your personal profit.
Every reasonable person can understand that you are inadequate and your quotation that “Fedor’s management are crooks” should be addressed to yourself.
Bas Boon embodies gossip epitome. Watch his next dirty answer. To understand what person he is, simply find anyone who speaks Dutch and check his multiple posts at the mixfight.nl forum.
Anyone who’s sane would conclude from the last Boon interview that he’s just a crook trying to make money off everyone he every touched. Just read his “depiction” of the aforementioned situation. Oh yeah, he was managing things here and there. He was even a secret manager, Miro worked on his behalf since Bas was afraid to ruin his relations with the partners, thus scheming behind Pride’s back. All he did was to make a profit out of other’s work.
Don’t expect me to react on his so-called attacks, I’m not going to boost his personality up.
